


Allelopathy

by Out of Tune (magicpiano)



Series: The Roses, The Empire, And The Engines of War [2]
Category: 19th Century CE France RPF, 19th Century CE RPF, Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Era, Crack, Crack Relationships, Crack Treated Seriously, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Historical Accuracy, Not Beta Read, Or at least as accurate as possible, Pre-Relationship, Tea Parties, This might be crack but I did a lot of research, more or less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27561643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicpiano/pseuds/Out%20of%20Tune
Summary: “Then what is to be the most of my problems?”Joséphine waited a moment before answering. She reached across the table to pick up a soft crème filled pastry. She seemed to enjoy leaving Cosette in anticipation.“As with all things,” Joséphine finally said as she gave a vague hand gesture, “men.”
Relationships: Cosette Fauchelevent/Josephine de Beauharnais Bonaparte, Napoléon I de France | Napoléon Bonaparte/Marius Pontmercy/Cosette Fauchelevent
Series: The Roses, The Empire, And The Engines of War [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013733
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Allelopathy

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on discord asked where Josephine fit into the Emperor’s Merciful Lark (Napoleon/Marius/Cosette) dynamic, and this monster was born. This fic took a while actually. Not because it is long but because I had to do so much research. I hope all the research paid off!
> 
> This story takes place in 1810, right after Napoleon’s divorce with Joséphine (January), but before his second marriage to Marie Louise (March). The timeline is very messed up because this story is ridiculous, but essentially, all Les Mis characters were born earlier in this AU. So, Marius and Cosette are already married, and the Amis are around plotting to overthrow Napoleon and generally disapproving of Marius’ romantic life. I guess that would make the amis involved with the planning of the February Revolution? Which means they are successful in this AU. Which means they don’t have to die…
> 
> Please note that while I plan to write more in this universe, I make no promises about finishing the story or that the story will have any kind of logical or satisfying ending if I do finish it.
> 
> Also, I am sorry no actual romance happened. I plan to get to it eventually, but apparently their relationship is going to take awhile to grow.
> 
> I am marking this story as a oneshot, because I am unsure if I will post the next part as a oneshot or another chapter on this fic. Unlike my other stories, this has absolutely no outline or even a plan really. I am channeling my middle school self who just wrote whatever and posted without worrying about whether or not it is logical.
> 
> This should be obvious, but this fic is a joke. Don’t take it too seriously.

Cosette couldn’t help but be curious about Napoleon’s former wife. He didn’t talk about her often, yet he kept the letters she sent him close to his heart. Cosette was fairly sure that Marius was jealous of this behavior, and to some degree so was she. But in truth, she pitied Joséphine. Cosette now had two lovers, and Joséphine was now all alone. Cosette wondered what kind of person she was to capture Napoleon’s heart so fully only to lose it.

While Marius’ relationship with Napoleon and Cosette was going wonderfully, Cosette’s own relationship with Napoleon was rocky. They got along well enough, but their conversation lacked the spark that Marius’ had.

Napoleon was wonderful to her; she really didn’t have any room to complain. He promised that soon he would make her an Empress, that he would marry her and all of France would be her’s. He left presents for her too, jewels and dresses far nicer than any she had ever touched, and her father was not a poor man.

He treated her with civility, and really what more could she ask for?

Cosette desired to make her new relationship, as unconventional as it was, work. To do so she would need to figure out where Joséphine and Napoleon’s relationship went wrong. Perhaps she could learn what pitfalls to avoid.

It was this desire for understanding that led her to Joséphine’s home for tea.

Cosette knew that Napoleon was still paying many of Joséphine's bills, so it wasn’t surprising that she lived in a place as beautiful as Château de Malmaison. 

Cosette had not yet grown used to such high-end luxuries. Her father has always given her anything she desired, but even so she grew up as a household worker then later in a convent. In places such as this, Cosette clearly stuck out as someone who didn’t belong. But Joséphine fit it in perfectly. She looked as if she was born for this life. Cosette couldn’t imagine her in anything but long silk dresses and fancily styled hair. She was clearly made for delicate dances held in fancy buildings with high raised ceilings.

Joséphine had an elegance and posture that Cosette wished she could emulate. Everything from the way she stirred her tea to the way tilted her head made Cosette feel inadequate.

“I didn’t expect the future Empress of the French to have the time to visit me.” Joséphine said as she took a sip of her tea.

“Surprisingly, I have quite a bit of free time,” Cosette tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, an unconscious sign of embarrassment. She was still not used to being called a future Empress. She had no idea how she would function when she actually  _ became _ the Empress.

“I was quite hoping to get to know you. I thought perhaps we could be friends,” Cosette shyly admitted.

Joséphine raised an eyebrow. “Most people are not friends with their intended’s ex-wife.”

It made sense then, why Joséphine had been acting so coolly towards Cosette, she expected Cosette was here to fight with her. Well, that could be fixed. If there was one thing Cosette considered herself a master of, it was being friendly.

Cosette straightened up in her chair and said with confidence, “Well most people are not me.”

After being an Emperor’s wife, Joséphine was far too good at politics to let his skepticism show on her face, but it certainly showed in her voice. “I know why you are really here.”

“Oh?” Cosette swallowed the lump in her throat and tried not to fidget. While she did hope to be friendly with Joséphine, it was true that was not her only intention.

“You want advice.” It wasn’t a question, but a definitive statement. Joséphine was right and she knew it. “And there is no one else you can turn to for matters such as this.”

Cosette swallowed her pride and admitted, “if you have any words of wisdom about being an Empress, I would be glad to hear them.”

This time Joséphine’s professional mask did momentarily slip. The corners of her mouth tilted up as if she found the question funny. “Being an Empress is to be the least of your problems.”

Cosette was about to be the second most important person in the country, she truthfully couldn’t fathom anything being more difficult than that. “Then what is to be the most of my problems?”

Joséphine waited a moment before answering. She reached across the table to pick up a soft crème filled pastry. She seemed to enjoy leaving Cosette in anticipation.

“As with all things,” Joséphine finally said as she gave a vague hand gesture, “men.”

“You mean to say it is difficult to rule over men?” Cosette ventured a guess at what Joséphine meant. “Because they don’t respect you?”

“Oh, well, sure,” Joséphine admitted, “but that is not at all what I meant.”

Joséphine didn’t elaborate, instead she took a bite of her pastry. Cosette tried not to be annoyed at the way Joséphine beat around the bush rather than answer her questions. It wasn’t polite to be demanding.

“I know exactly what it is like,” Joséphine said when she finished the last bit of her food. She looked up at her high ceiling and said with something like longing, “I have been in your shoes before.”

“An Empress to be?”

“Yes, but more than that I know what it is like to be Napoleon’s lover,” Joséphine’s eyes snapped away from the roof back to Cosette. “But then, you are not really Napoleon’s lover, are you?”

Cosette’s stomach began to turn. Joséphine was implying something with that statement, and whatever it was, Cosette didn’t like it.

“I am to be  _ the _ Empress.” Cosette bristled, pulling together every shred of pride and false confidence she had.

“An Empress,” Joséphine corrected. Cosette felt a blush make its way to her face. She had forgotten that Joséphine still retained her title. She was not to be the  _ only  _ Empress in France. “And I have no doubt about your upcoming marriage, but it is not really  _ you _ he wants to marry now is it?”

Cosette bit her lip. It was true, she knew, but to admit it felt wrong somehow. Soon she would be in a position of power, she couldn’t go around telling people that Napoleon and Marius were lovers, technically legal or not.

“You don’t need to admit it, I already know,” Joséphine said, merciful sparing Cosette from having to respond. “Don’t forget I was the one Napoleon left to go chase Marius.”

It was clear to Cosette how much Marius loved and admired Napoleon.

Marius looked at Napoleon like he had hung up the very stars in the sky. He talked about the man with a smile almost too bright. He was a man in love and some deep part of Cosette wondered if she fell to second place in Marius’ heart.

“This is just a warning, from one Empress to another. Be ready for the day he leaves you. Someday you will be a part of his past,” Joséphine said it with the confidence of a fortune teller. “Have an exit plan ready.”

Cosette sucked in a deep breath. She could hardly believe the gall of Joséphine to make such accusations. “Napoleon  _ won’t _ be leaving me.”

But even as she said it, some part of her knew the truth. She knew the real reason Napoleon gave her gifts and treated her with such respect. Napoleon didn’t care about her, not really. It was obvious to anyone watching that Napoleon only truly had eyes for Marius. Napoleon put up with Cosette’s presence in the palace because Marius wanted her there. She made Marius happy, and Napoleon wanted to see Marius happy. It was that simple.

She understood it,  _ respected _ it even. Love was a complicated thing, and while she might not have understood their relationship when Marius had first told her, she was starting to get it.

Cosette loved Marius, and Napoleon made Marius happy. So, for him, she would accept Napoleon. It was a wordless understanding that both Cosette and Napoleon had come to.

Cosette hated Joséphine’s accusation, because she thought Napoleon better than that. But even more because that same fear had crossed her mind as well.

Joséphine rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think he would leave me either, yet here we are. But I wasn’t actually talking about Napoleon.” Joséphine took another sip of her tea, again making Cosette wait for her to finish her thought. “I was talking about Marius.”

“Marius?” Cosette didn’t like to think about Napoleon leaving her, but she understood the fact that he had done it once before, but Marius? Marius was not capable of such things. He was sweet, innocent, his greatest fault was that he loved a bit too much.

Technically speaking, Marius had already “left” her. Cosette and Marius had gotten a divorce so that Cosette would be free to marry Napoleon. The reason for the separation was officially that Marius had stopped doing his husbandly duty in caring for his wife’s expenses. Marius had accepted being listed as the guilty party if it meant they could all be together. Napoleon had made sure the divorce proceedings went smoothly.

Cosette feared the response of the public if they ever realized that Cosette and Marius still slept in the same rooms, even if their room was now in Tuileries Palace.

“He married you, didn’t he? And now here he is in bed with another man.” Joséphine’s voice didn’t contain the disgust that Cosette expected it to. After all, her husband had left her for another man too. Rather than disgusted, she sounded sad, resigned. “You will remain in Napoleon’s good grace as long as you remain in Marius’, but how long till Marius tires of you?”

“Marius loves me!” Cosette hissed as she jumped to her feet. Her chair made a loud squeaking sound that echoed in the large empty room as it slid across the polished floor.

“So you think.” Joséphine, not one to be intimidated, responded with just as much ferocity. She leaned forward and grasped Cosette’s hand, slipping a piece of paper into Cosette’ fingers.

This time, when Joséphine spoke it was gentle. “I thought Napoleon loved me too. Apparently, I was wrong.”

Joséphine released Cosette’s hand and leaned back into her seat. Cosette carefully unfolded the paper she had been given. Inside written in dark ink and beautiful flowing script was a name and an address.

“What is this?”

“He is a lawyer.” Joséphine explained, still using that soft voice as if she was trying to avoid upsetting Cosette again. “He has helped me get my affairs in order. He can help you move some money around too. That way you won’t be destitute when-“

“I am leaving,” Cosette crushed the paper in her hands and dropped it into her tea. She wouldn’t be insulted like this, and she wouldn’t stand for Marius’ honor being challenged.

She walked away from the table; her movements taut with a barely concealed rage. Then, because her father had raised her to be polite, she turned back and added, “Thank you for the tea.”

Joséphine showed no concern at Cosette’s anger, instead giving a little laugh. “You are about to be an Empress dear. You needn’t say, ‘thank you,’ anymore.”

Cosette stalked out in a flurry, never once turning back.

**Author's Note:**

> It is pretty accepted that Joséphine did not love Napoleon as much as he loved her and didn’t write him as often as he wrote her, so I think he probably treasured the letters she did send him.
> 
> Joséphine and Napoleon’s relationship was complicated. They both cheated on each other, but they also remained friends after their divorce.
> 
> As Emperor, Napoleon lived in Tuileries Palace. After the divorce, Joséphine lived in Château de Malmaison and Napoleon continued to pay many of her bills. She was a very big spender which put strain on her and Napoleon’s relationship.
> 
> Joséphine was apparently very charming and some of Napoleon’s family felt unsophisticated in her presence. I figured Cosette would probably feel the same.
> 
> Napoleon insisted that Joséphine retain the title of Empress after the divorce, "It is my will that she retain the rank and title of empress, and especially that she never doubt my sentiments, and that she ever hold me as her best and dearest friend."
> 
> Napoleon claimed he only divorced Joséphine because he needed an heir and she was unable to give him one. So, in this AU, rather than marry Marie Louise, he marries Cosette. This serves two purposes; it allows him to make Marius happy and allows him to (theoretically) obtain an heir.
> 
> Under the Napoleonic Code, homosexuality was legal. It was still frowned upon, and you could still be arrested for breaking Public Decency Laws, but it was legal! (Perhaps he made it legal so he could be with Marius? Who knows?)
> 
> Napoleon ruined divorce for women. This is not an exaggeration. The First French Republic had very revolutionary divorce laws. It made divorce a civil procedure, rather than a religious one. Under that law, divorce no longer required that there be a guilty party to be named. Things were much worse under Napoleon’s laws. Couples were only allowed divorce in cases of adultery, and poor treatment. It was very sexist too, women could be divorced for any adultery, while men could only be divorced if they committed adultery in the home. It was also more expensive, which meant poor people had issues getting a divorce. So many women were forced to stay with bad husbands.
> 
> The ship name for Cosette/Josephine, Secret Garden, was suggested by [MarbledOpalescence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarbledOpalescence/). There are a few reasons for the name: firstly, Josephine was famous for her rose garden. Secondly, Josephine’s name was actually Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, but she went by Rose. Napoleon preferred the name Josephine, so that is what she started going by. Lastly, Cosette’s real name was Euphrasie, which comes from the flower Euphrasia, but Marius preferred Cosette. So, both Cosette and Joséphine had flower names, but were forced to change them for their husbands. Thus, Secret Garden!
> 
> Allelopathy is when an organism produces biochemicals that influence the survival of other organisms, typically amongst plants. These chemicals are called allelochemicals and can be beneficial or detrimental. For the reason I just explained, I plan to give Cosette and Josephine a lot of plant symbolism in this series. They are going to have something of an enemies to lovers or rivals to lovers dynamic, so I think the name fits. At this point they do not know if their interactions will be positive or negative, but their interactions WILL affect each other’s survival.
> 
> I strive for historical accuracy in all my canon era fics. While this fic is too silly to ever be truly accurate, if you do stop something incorrect feel free to point it out and I will either fix it or make a note of it in the author’s notes. Same with any spelling or grammar errors!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
